According to early forecasts from Agreste, the strawberry harvest should be 3% above that recorded last year and 12% above the 2012-2016 average. The season began at the start of March with prices just 3% below the 2012-2016 average. Round strawberries saw an economic crisis at the end of March, despite prices being 2% higher than the same time last year. Prices slowed down the following month due to an increased offer, but are still better than in April 2016.
The good weather at the start of the spring meant that the production calendar went back to normal. Spain remains the biggest strawberry supplier in France with 85% of strawberries imported in March 2017. Moroccan strawberries represent 14% and have increased by 4 points in a year. The Spanish strawberries promoted in supermarkets have more competitive prices than their French counterparts. In March, imports had increased by 11% to 24,300 tons. Exports increased to 14%, which is only one fifth of imported volume.
National acreage has decreased very slightly in a year, covering 3,770 hectares. Field production has further decreased whilst greenhouse acreage continues to increase.